Public trust in Ruidoso council falters

Residents urged by councilors to find out the real facts

By Dianne Stallings

dstallings@ruidosonews.com @RuidosoNews on Twitter

Posted:
08/01/2013 04:15:30 PM MDT

When a longtime resident warned Tuesday that the Ruidoso Village Council and village administration have lost the public's trust, some of those elected officials offered their view points on recent issues tied to the village's water supply.

Sandi Meek, who said she's lived in Ruidoso for 17 years, took the podium during the public forum portion of the meeting. She said many questions linger in the community about the status of the village water supply.

"Not only are we concerned about water quality, but also about the water supply," she said. "My home overlooks Grindstone Lake (the main village reservoir) and over the past years I've watched it diminish to not much more than a pond. I realize that's not your fault, yet the soccer fields and golf courses are green and lush. If this truly is an extreme drought, as is shown on the signs (at the entrances to the village), would it not be more prudent to make changes in that regard as well?"

Citizens who have private wells are allowed to water at any time, she noted, adding, "Doesn't the water ultimately come from the same source?

Advertisement

"It was my understanding that efforts were underway to fix the leak problems at Grindstone Dam, a problem for many years, but I have seen no activity to that regard."

People are frightened and feel they have no other recourse than to post on (Internet) public forums, Meek said.

"I agree with you that some of the things that have been said are inappropriate and some even have been mean, but they reflect the frustration of the citizens of the community," Meek said.

"The water issues from last summer were not immediately revealed and citizens were not informed until a year later when the (New Mexico) Environment Department issued its investigation," she said.

The state official issuing the report, which the Ruidoso News obtained two weeks ago, noted that a filter was discovered at the Grindstone water treatment plant positioned in a way that would render inaccurate turbidity measurements and that inaccurate readings could lead to a delay in detecting a dangerous decline in water quality. Department officials proposed fining the village $48,000 and taking action against two of the employees' certifications as plant operators. They also criticized an internal investigation by the village manager of the situation as "inadequate and inaccurate."

"The primary responsibility for the day-to-day operation of this village falls to the village manager, but the ultimate responsibility for the reputation of this village rests with the mayor and the council," Meeks said. "You must assume that responsibility no matter the cost, and take the action warranted to ensure the village is run efficiently and effectively. I fully realize this a monumental task and I do not envy you, but it is the responsibility you assume when you run for public office.

"You the council and the administration of this village have lost our trust," Meeks said. "Trust is a very delicate thing, very easy to lose and very difficult to get back. Perhaps it is time for the council to review the code of ethics section (regarding accountable government) to earn the public's full confidence for integrity."

Meeks received a loud round of applause as she sat down.

Councilor Lynn Crawford told the audience, "The trust issue is a huge thing for me." Like other councilors, he lives in the village, he has a business and he drinks the water. He would never do anything to endanger residents or visitors, Crawford said.

"There was a time when people couldn't come and express their concerns before the council," but that has changed, he pointed out. Sometimes councilors are disheartened by constraints and occurrences, "but rest assured, the people up here are doing what they can within budget and manpower limits to correct (water problems) as fast as we can."

The village didn't try to avoid state involvement in investigating the filter issue, he contended. "When we had the problem a year ago, Councilor (Rafael) Salas was with me and you were with me Gloria (Sayers, councilor,) and we called the ED to get them to come in," Crawford said. "At no time, did they express a whole lot of concern and it was all their business. They were the ones who issued those licenses and it was a personnel matter and we were to stay out of it. We did stay out of it."

A year later, councilors heard the results of the investigation.

He was watching television Channel 13 news when he heard the first accusation that there may have been a "big conspiracy," Crawford said.

Honesty and integrity are not just words to him, he said. He spends a lot of time in meetings learning about things he didn't even know existed before he was elected, Crawford said. Village officials try to notify residents immediately when there is a problem with the water supply, he said.

"In years past, there was not whole lot of checks and balances," but that also has changed, he assured those attending the meeting.

Statements on the Internet often are "nasty," Crawford said, and those reading the remarks should remember they are anonymous and the people writing them do not have to account for the accuracy.

Mayor Ray Alborn also urged residents to take the time to learn what the village has been doing. For instance, several councilors for months have spoken about the need for bond issues to pay for infrastructure replacement and improvement.

At no time were contaminants introduced into the water supply. The issued boil alert over the Fourth of July holiday was advisory only, he stressed.

He contended no cover-up occurred and "the truth is there is nothing to hide. The village is required to test the water and report daily along with a full monthly report to NMED and we are working collaboratively with them, as we always have, to ensure that everything possible is being done to deliver water that meets all regulations."

As the water level in Grindstone retreated and the manganese level became too high, the plant shut down and the unacceptable water was diverted into the wastewater treatment process, Alborn said.

"A fine has been proposed and the village is participating in an administrative process to develop all the facts and determine whether or not a fine is appropriate, and if so, how much it will be," the mayor said. "The proposed fine is a result of an operator error, not a result of the quality of water delivered to our citizens."

If a fine eventually is imposed, it would be a council and lodgers tax committee decision, not the village manager's, whether the money legitimately could come from the tax, which is designated for the promotion of tourism in the community, he said.

Water rate increases were under consideration and studied long before the operator error occurred, he pointed out. Rates haven't been adjusted for many years and increases are needed to help pay for infrastructure replacement priority projects.

"While I am sure that our citizens are concerned, I have to question the fear-mongering tactics," Alborn said. The mayor's biggest complaint centered on emails, letters to the editor and Internet blogs.

"This has been an extremely stressful and serious situation for our community and to infer that our village manager would put people in harm's way by not disclosing information that could be harmful or deadly to anyone is utterly ridiculous and wrong," he said.

He praised the work ethic and long hours Lee puts into her job and listed many of her accomplishments on the financial side cleaning up and catching up on audits and refinancing debts to lower interest payments, as well as balancing a budget that was $10 million out of balance when she was hired.